US11903664B2 - Computer-assisted medical systems and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer-assisted medical system includes a manipulator arm and an instrument holder physically coupled to the manipulator arm. The instrument holder is configured to releasably couple to an instrument. The instrument holder includes an adjustable assembly and a cannula clamp physically coupled to the adjustable assembly. A physical adjustment of the adjustable assembly moves the cannula clamp relative to the manipulator arm. The cannula clamp is configured to releasably couple to a cannula configured to receive the instrument.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/311,333, filed on Dec. 19, 2018, which is incorporated by referenced herein in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/311,333 is a national phase application of International Application No. PCT/US2017/039917, which filed on Jun. 29, 2017. International Application No. PCT/US2017/039917 claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/357,678, which filed on Jul. 1, 2016. The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/357,678 is considered part of and is incorporated by reference in the disclosure of this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for computer-assisted surgery, such as minimally invasive surgery, tele-operated surgery, and minimally invasive computer-assisted tele-operated surgery. For example, the disclosure relates to mechanisms for holding a surgical instrument at the end of a robotic manipulator and methods for actuating computer-assisted insertion motions of the surgical instrument.

BACKGROUND

Robotic systems and computer-assisted devices often include robot or movable arms to manipulate instruments for performing a task at a work site and at least one robot or movable arm for supporting an image capturing device which captures images of the work site. A robot arm comprises a plurality of links coupled together by one or more actively controlled joints. In many embodiments, a plurality of actively controlled joints may be provided. The robot arm may also include one or more passive joints, which are not actively controlled, but comply with movement of an actively controlled joint. Such active and passive joints may be revolute or prismatic joints. The configuration of the robot arm may then be determined by the positions of the joints and knowledge of the structure and coupling of the links.

Minimally invasive telesurgical systems for use in surgery are being developed to increase a surgeon's dexterity as well as to allow a surgeon to operate on a patient from a remote location. Telesurgery is a general term for surgical systems where the surgeon uses some form of remote control, e.g., a servomechanism, or the like, to manipulate surgical instrument movements rather than directly holding and moving the instruments by hand. In such a telesurgery system, the surgeon is provided with an image of the surgical site at the remote location. While viewing typically a three-dimensional image of the surgical site on a suitable viewer or display, the surgeon performs the surgical procedures on the patient by manipulating master control input devices, which in turn control the motion of robotic instruments. The robotic surgical instruments can be inserted through small, minimally invasive surgical apertures to treat tissues at surgical sites within the patient, often avoiding the trauma generally associated with accessing a surgical worksite by open surgery techniques. These robotic systems can move the working ends of the surgical instruments with sufficient dexterity to perform quite intricate surgical tasks, often by pivoting shafts of the instruments at the minimally invasive aperture, sliding of the shaft axially through the aperture, rotating of the shaft within the aperture, and/or the like.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides systems and methods for computer-assisted medical procedures. Example procedures include surgery, such as minimally invasive surgery, tele-operated surgery, and minimally invasive computer-assisted tele-operated surgery using a computer-assisted tele-operated medical device. Other example procedures include various medical treatments and diagnosis procedures. For example, the disclosure provides mechanisms for holding a medical instrument at the end of a robotic manipulator assembly and methods for actuating axial translations or insertion motions of the instrument.

In the context of minimally invasive computer-assisted medical procedures, movement of the robotic manipulator assembly may be controlled by a processor of the system so that a shaft or intermediate portion of the surgical instrument is constrained to a safe motion through a minimally invasive surgical access site, natural orifice including oral and anal orifices, or other aperture. Such motion may include, for example, axial insertion of the shaft through the aperture site, rotation of the shaft about its axis, and pivotal motion of the shaft about a pivot point adjacent the access site, but will often preclude excessive lateral motion of the shaft which might otherwise tear the tissues adjacent the aperture or enlarge the access site inadvertently. Some or all of such constraint on the robotic manipulator assembly motion at the access site may be imposed using in part or in full using robotic data processing and control techniques. Such concepts for constraining the robotic manipulator assembly motion may be referred to herein as software-constrained remote center of motion.

In one aspect, the disclosure is directed to a minimally invasive computer-assisted surgery method that includes moving a computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm to cause an elongate surgical instrument coupled to the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm to move along a fixed line in space that is defined by a longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument, and moving the surgical instrument along the fixed line in space independent of the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm movement. The computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm may be tele-operated.

Such a minimally invasive computer-assisted surgery method may optionally include one or more of the following features. At least a distal end portion of the surgical instrument may be disposed inside a patient's body during each of the moving operations. The moving operations may occur at least somewhat contemporaneously. The moving operations may occur noncontemporaneously. The movement of the surgical instrument independently of computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm movements may include moving an instrument holder carriage to which the surgical instrument is releasably coupled. Moving the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm may be used for long, slow movements and moving the surgical instrument may be used for shorter, quicker movements. The long, slow movements may be distinguished from the shorter, quicker movements by a frequency cut-off filtering operation. Moving the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm in combination with the moving the surgical instrument may be performed in response to receiving a surgical instrument commanded motion input. Moving the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm may further include pivoting a surgical instrument holder in relation to the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm.

In another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a computer-assisted surgery system including: (a) an instrument holder configured for pivotable attachment to a computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm; (b) an instrument holder carriage movably coupled to the instrument holder; (c) a surgical instrument coupleable to the instrument holder carriage, the surgical instrument comprising an elongate shaft and an end effector disposed at an end of the elongate shaft; and (d) a tubular cannula defining a first lumen for slidably receiving the elongate shaft, wherein the tubular cannula is configured for use detached from the instrument holder.

Such a computer-assisted surgery system may optionally include one or more of the following features. The instrument holder may define a second lumen for slidable engagement with the elongate shaft. The instrument holder carriage may be linearly translatable along the instrument holder. The system may also include the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm coupled to a base.

In another aspect, a computer-assisted surgery system includes an instrument holder coupleable to a computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm, an instrument holder carriage movably coupled to the instrument holder, and a cannula holder coupled to the instrument holder. While the instrument holder is coupled to the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm, the instrument holder carriage is moveable independent of the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm, and the cannula holder is moveable independent of the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm and independent of the instrument holder carriage.

Such a computer-assisted surgery system may optionally include one or more of the following features. The system may also include a cannula that is releasably coupleable to the cannula holder, wherein the cannula defines a lumen. The system may also include a surgical instrument that is releasably coupleable to the instrument holder carriage (wherein the surgical instrument is slidably coupleable within the lumen of the cannula). The instrument holder carriage may be linearly translatable along the instrument holder. The system may also include the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm coupled to a base.

In another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a computer-assisted surgery system including: (a) an instrument holder configured for pivotable attachment to a computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm; (b) an instrument holder carriage movably coupled to the instrument holder; (c) a surgical instrument coupleable to the instrument holder carriage (the surgical instrument including an elongate shaft and an end effector disposed at an end of the elongate shaft); (d) a cannula holder movably coupled to the instrument holder; and (e) a tubular cannula coupleable to the cannula holder (the tubular cannula defines a lumen for slidably receiving the elongate shaft).

Such a computer-assisted surgery system may optionally include one or more of the following features. The instrument holder carriage may be linearly translatable along the instrument holder. The system may also include the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm coupled to a base. The cannula holder may be linearly translatable in relation to the instrument holder.

In another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a computer-assisted surgery system including: (a) an instrument holder configured for attachment to a computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm at a pivotable joint (wherein the pivotable joint is translatable along the instrument holder); (b) an instrument holder carriage movably coupled to the instrument holder; (c) a tubular cannula coupleable to the instrument holder (wherein the tubular cannula defines a lumen); and (d) a surgical instrument coupleable to the instrument holder carriage. The surgical instrument includes an elongate shaft and an end effector disposed at an end of the elongate shaft. The elongate shaft is slidably coupleable within the lumen.

Such a computer-assisted surgery system may optionally include one or more of the following features. The instrument holder carriage may be linearly translatable along the instrument holder. The system may also include the computer-assisted surgery manipulator arm coupled to a base.

Some or all of the embodiments described herein may provide one or more of the following advantages. For example, some robotic manipulator assembly embodiments described herein are configured more compactly in comparison to conventional robotic manipulator assemblies. Such compact designs can reduce the potential for physical interference between robotic manipulator assemblies of a robotic surgery system. In addition, such compact designs can reduce the weight and inertia of robotic manipulator assemblies. Consequently, the size and power of the actuators of the robotic surgery system can be reduced. The structural size and weight of the mechanical linkages may also be reduced using the robotic manipulator assembly embodiments described herein. Such lighter mechanical linkages can facilitate a robotic surgery system that is more responsive to user input. In addition, some methods provided herein also facilitate smaller and more responsive robotic manipulator assemblies.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG.1 is a perspective view of an example patient-side cart of a robotic surgery system.

FIG.2 is a front view of an example surgeon console of a robotic surgery system.

FIG.3 is a side view of an example robotic manipulator arm assembly of a robotic surgery system.

FIG.4 is a perspective view of a distal end portion of an example surgical instrument in a first configuration.

FIG.5 is a perspective view of the distal end portion of the surgical instrument ofFIG.4 in a second configuration.

FIG.6 is a perspective view of the distal end portion of the surgical instrument ofFIG.4 in a third configuration.

FIGS.7-9 are bottom, side, and back views of an exemplary robotic manipulator assembly having a range of joint states for a given end effector position.

FIG.10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the degrees of freedom provided by the robotic manipulator assembly ofFIGS.7-9.

FIG.11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a robotic manipulator assembly inserted through a surgical aperture.

FIG.12 schematically illustrates some of the challenges in manually repositioning the highly configurable manipulator assembly ofFIG.11 to a new aperture position.

FIG.13 schematically illustrates reconfiguring of the arm ofFIG.11 so as to enhance range of motion or the like during manual repositioning of the manipulator to a new aperture position.

FIGS.14 and15 schematically illustrate robotically reconfiguring of the joints of the manipulator assembly within a range of alternative joint configurations during manual movement of the arm.

FIG.16 is a simplified block diagram schematically illustrating a fully constrained inverse Jacobian master/slave velocity controller.

FIG.17 is a simplified diagram of a modified master/slave controller in which an inverse Jacobian controller module is combined with a second module having a configuration dependent subspace filter to allow control over a manipulator assembly.

FIG.18 illustrates a refinement of the simplified master-slave control illustrated inFIG.17.

FIG.19 schematically illustrates an exemplary inverse Jacobian controller for a fully constrained master/slave robotic surgical system.

FIG.20 schematically illustrates a modified portion of the controller ofFIG.11, in which the inverse Jacobian controller has been modified with a configuration dependent filter so that the controller respects priority of differing levels of system constraints and/or goals.

FIG.21 is a side view of a distal portion of an example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly in accordance with some embodiments. The robotic manipulator assembly is in a first arrangement relative to a surgical site.

FIG.22 is another side view of the example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly ofFIG.21. The robotic manipulator assembly is in a second arrangement relative to the surgical site.

FIG.23 is a flowchart of a two-stage method for controlling insertion of a surgical instrument in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG.24 is a side view of a distal portion of another example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG.25 is a side view of a distal portion of another example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG.26 is a side view of a distal portion of another example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG.27 is a side view of a distal portion of another example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG.28 is a side view of a distal portion of another example patient-side robotic manipulator assembly in accordance with some embodiments.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This description and the accompanying drawings that illustrate inventive aspects, embodiments, implementations, or applications should not be taken as limiting—the claims define the protected invention. Various mechanical, compositional, structural, electrical, and operational changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this description and the claims. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures, or techniques have not been shown or described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Like numbers in two or more figures represent the same or similar elements.

Further, specific words chosen to describe one or more embodiments and optional elements or features are not intended to limit the invention. For example, spatially relative terms—such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, “proximal”, “distal”, and the like—may be used to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. These spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different positions (i.e., translational placements) and orientations (i.e., rotational placements) of a device in use or operation in addition to the position and orientation shown in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be “above” or “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both positions and orientations of above and below. A device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Likewise, descriptions of movement along (translation) and around (rotation) various axes includes various special device positions and orientations. The combination of a body's position and orientation define the body's pose.

Similarly, geometric terms, such as “parallel”, “perpendicular”, “round”, or “square”, are not intended to require absolute mathematical precision, unless the context indicates otherwise. Instead, such geometric terms allow for variations due to manufacturing or equivalent functions. For example, if an element is described as “round” or “generally round”, a component that is not precisely circular (e.g., one that is slightly oblong or is a many-sided polygon) is still encompassed by this description. The words “including” or “having” mean including but not limited to.

It should be understood that although this description is made to be sufficiently clear, concise, and exact, scrupulous and exhaustive linguistic precision is not always possible or desirable, since the description should be kept to a reasonable length and skilled readers will understand background and associated technology. For example, considering a video signal, a skilled reader will understand that an oscilloscope described as displaying the signal does not display the signal itself but a representation of the signal, and that a video monitor described as displaying the signal does not display the signal itself but video information the signal carries.

In addition, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. And, the terms “comprises”, “includes”, “has”, and the like specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups. And, the or each of the one or more individual listed items should be considered optional unless otherwise stated, so that various combinations of items are described without an exhaustive list of each possible combination. The auxiliary verb may likewise implies that a feature, step, operation, element, or component is optional.

Elements described in detail with reference to one embodiment, implementation, or application optionally may be included, whenever practical, in other embodiments, implementations, or applications in which they are not specifically shown or described. For example, if an element is described in detail with reference to one embodiment and is not described with reference to a second embodiment, the element may nevertheless be claimed as included in the second embodiment. Thus, to avoid unnecessary repetition in the following description, one or more elements shown and described in association with one embodiment, implementation, or application may be incorporated into other embodiments, implementations, or aspects unless specifically described otherwise, unless the one or more elements would make an embodiment or implementation non-functional, or unless two or more of the elements provide conflicting functions.

Elements described as coupled may be electrically or mechanically directly coupled, or they may be indirectly coupled via one or more intermediate components.

The term “flexible” in association with a part, such as a mechanical structure, component, or component assembly, should be broadly construed. In essence, the term means the part can be repeatedly bent and restored to an original shape without harm to the part. Many “rigid” objects have a slight inherent resilient “bendiness” due to material properties, although such objects are not considered “flexible” as the term is used herein. A flexible part may have infinite degrees of freedom (DOF's). Examples of such parts include closed, bendable tubes (made from, e.g., NITINOL, polymer, soft rubber, and the like), helical coil springs, etc. that can be bent into various simple or compound curves, often without significant cross-sectional deformation. Other flexible parts may approximate such an infinite-DOF part by using a series of closely spaced components that are similar to a snake-like arrangement of serial “vertebrae.” In such a vertebral arrangement, each component is a short link in a kinematic chain, and movable mechanical constraints (e.g., pin hinge, cup and ball, live hinge, and the like) between each link may allow one (e.g., pitch) or two (e.g., pitch and yaw) DOF's of relative movement between the links. A short, flexible part may serve as, and be modeled as, a single mechanical constraint (joint) that provides one or more DOF's between two links in a kinematic chain, even though the flexible part itself may be a kinematic chain made of several coupled links. Knowledgeable persons will understand that a part's flexibility may be expressed in terms of its stiffness.

Unless otherwise stated in this description, a flexible part, such as a mechanical structure, component, or component assembly, may be either actively or passively flexible. An actively flexible part may be bent by using forces inherently associated with the part itself. For example, one or more tendons may be routed lengthwise along the part and offset from the part's longitudinal axis, so that tension on the one or more tendons causes the part or a portion of the part to bend. Other ways of actively bending an actively flexible part include, without limitation, the use of pneumatic or hydraulic power, gears, electroactive polymer (more generally, “artificial muscle”), and the like. A passively flexible part is bent by using a force external to the part (e.g., an applied mechanical or electromagnetic force). A passively flexible part may remain in its bent shape until bent again, or it may have an inherent characteristic that tends to restore the part to an original shape. An example of a passively flexible part with inherent stiffness is a plastic rod or a resilient rubber tube. An actively flexible part, when not actuated by its inherently associated forces, may be passively flexible. A single part may be made of one or more actively and passively flexible parts in series.

Aspects of the invention are described primarily in terms of an implementation using a da Vinci® Surgical System, commercialized by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California Examples of such surgical systems are the da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical System (Model IS4000) and the da Vinci® Si™ HD™ Surgical System (Model IS3000). Knowledgeable persons will understand, however, that inventive aspects disclosed herein may be embodied and implemented in various ways, including computer-assisted, non-computer-assisted, and hybrid combinations of manual and computer-assisted embodiments and implementations. Implementations on da Vinc® Surgical Systems (e.g., the Model IS4000, the Model IS3000, the Model IS2000, the Model IS1200) are merely exemplary and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the inventive aspects disclosed herein. As applicable, inventive aspects may be embodied and implemented in relatively smaller, hand-held, hand-operated devices and in relatively larger systems that have additional mechanical support, as well as in other embodiments of computer-assisted devices, including non-teleoperated and tele-operated medical devices used in medical procedures of all types, such as procedures for diagnosis, non-surgical treatment, minimally invasive surgical treatment, and non-minimally invasive surgical treatment. As applicable, inventive aspects may be embodied and implemented non-medical systems such as industrial robot and other robotic systems.

It should be understood that the diminutive scale of the disclosed structures and mechanisms creates unique mechanical conditions and difficulties with the construction of these structures and mechanisms that are unlike those found in similar structures and mechanisms constructed at a larger scale, because forces and strengths of materials do not scale at the same rate as the size of the mechanisms. For example, a surgical instrument having an 8 mm shaft diameter cannot simply be dimensionally scaled down to a 5 mm shaft diameter due to mechanical, material property, and manufacturing considerations. Likewise, a 5 mm shaft diameter device cannot simply be dimensionally scaled down to a 3 mm shaft diameter device. Significant mechanical concerns exist as physical dimensions are reduced.

A computer is a machine that follows programmed instructions to perform mathematical or logical functions on input information to produce processed output information. A computer includes a logic unit that performs the mathematical or logical functions, and memory that stores the programmed instructions, the input information, and the output information. The term “computer” and similar terms, such as “processor” or “controller”, encompasses both single-location and distributed implementations.

This disclosure provides improved medical and robotic devices, systems, and methods. The inventive concepts can be used with computer-assisted medical systems, such as medical robotic systems in which a plurality of surgical tools or instruments will be mounted on and moved by an associated plurality of robotic manipulators during a medical procedure. The robotic systems will often comprise minimally invasive, non-teleoperated, telerobotic, telesurgical, and/or telepresence systems that include processors configured as master-slave controllers. By providing robotic systems employing processors appropriately configured to move manipulator assemblies with articulated linkages having relatively large numbers of degrees of freedom, the motion of the linkages can be tailored for work through a minimally invasive, natural orifice, or other access site. The large number of degrees of freedom may also allow a processor to position the manipulators so as to inhibit interference or collisions between these moving structures, and the like.

The robotic manipulator assemblies described herein will often include a robotic manipulator and a tool mounted thereon (the tool often comprising a surgical instrument in surgical versions), although the term “robotic assembly” will also encompass the manipulator without the tool mounted thereon. The term “tool” encompasses both general or industrial robotic tools and specialized robotic surgical instruments, with these later structures often including an end effector that is suitable for manipulation of tissue, treatment of tissue, imaging of tissue, or the like. The tool/manipulator interface will often be a quick disconnect tool holder or coupling, allowing rapid removal and replacement of the tool with an alternate tool. The manipulator assembly will often have a base that is fixed in space during at least a portion of a robotic procedure, and the manipulator assembly may include a number of degrees of freedom between the base and an end effector of the tool. Actuation of the end effector (such as opening or closing of the jaws of a gripping device, energizing an electrosurgical paddle, or the like) will often be separate from, and in addition to, these manipulator assembly degrees of freedom.

The end effector will typically move in the workspace with between two and six degrees of freedom. As used herein, the term “position” encompasses both location and orientation. Hence, a change in a position of an end effector (for example) may involve a translation of the end effector from a first location to a second location, a rotation of the end effector from a first orientation to a second orientation, or a combination of both.

When used for minimally invasive robotic surgery or other medical procedure, movement of the manipulator assembly may be controlled by a processor of the system so that a shaft or intermediate portion of the tool or instrument is constrained to a safe motion through a minimally invasive surgical access site or other aperture. Such motion may include, for example, axial insertion of the shaft through the aperture site, rotation of the shaft about its axis, and pivotal motion of the shaft about a pivot point adjacent the access site, but will often preclude excessive lateral motion of the shaft which might otherwise tear the tissues adjacent the aperture or enlarge the access site inadvertently. Some or all of such constraint on the manipulator motion at the access site may be imposed using mechanical manipulator joint linkages that inhibit improper motions, or may in part or in full be imposed using robotic data processing and control techniques. Hence, such minimally invasive aperture-constrained motion of the manipulator assembly may employ between zero and three degrees of freedom of the manipulator assembly.

Many of the exemplary manipulator assemblies described herein will have more degrees of freedom than are needed to position and move an end effector within a surgical site. For example, a surgical end effector that can be positioned with six degrees of freedom at an internal surgical site through a minimally invasive aperture may in some embodiments have nine degrees of freedom (six end effector degrees of freedom—three for location, and three for orientation—plus three degrees of freedom to comply with the access site constraints), but will often have ten or more degrees of freedom. Highly configurable manipulator assemblies having more degrees of freedom than are needed for a given end effector position can be described as having or providing sufficient degrees of freedom to allow a range of joint states for an end effector position in a workspace. For example, for a given end effector position, the manipulator assembly may occupy (and be driven between) any of a range of alternative manipulator linkage positions. Similarly, for a given end effector velocity vector, the manipulator assembly may have a range of differing joint movement speeds for the various joints of the manipulator assembly.

Referring toFIGS.1 and2, systems for minimally invasive telesurgery can include a patient-side cart100 and asurgeon console40. Telesurgery is a general term for surgical systems where the surgeon uses some form of remote control, e.g., a servomechanism, or the like, to manipulate surgical instrument movements rather than directly holding and moving the instruments by hand. For example, controlling the patient-side cart100 with thesurgeon console40 is a type of telesurgery. In contrast, directly controlling the patient-side cart by manually pushing or pulling the manipulators or instruments into desired configurations comprise non-teleoperated control. The robotically manipulatable surgical instruments can be inserted through small, minimally invasive surgical apertures to treat tissues at surgical sites within the patient, avoiding the trauma associated with accessing for open surgery. These robotic systems can move the working ends of the surgical instruments with sufficient dexterity to perform quite intricate surgical tasks, often by pivoting shafts of the instruments at the minimally invasive aperture, sliding of the shaft axially through the aperture, rotating of the shaft within the aperture, and/or the like.

In the depicted embodiment, the patient-side cart100 includes abase110, a first roboticmanipulator arm assembly120, a second roboticmanipulator arm assembly130, a third roboticmanipulator arm assembly140, and a fourth roboticmanipulator arm assembly150. Each roboticmanipulator arm assembly120,130,140, and150 is pivotably coupled to thebase110. In some embodiments, fewer than four or more than four robotic manipulator arm assemblies may be included as part of the patient-side cart100. While in the depicted embodiment thebase110 includes casters to allow ease of mobility, in some embodiments the patient-side cart100 is fixedly mounted to a floor, ceiling, operating table, structural framework, or the like.

In a typical application, two of the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, or150 hold surgical instruments and a third holds a stereo endoscope. The remaining robotic manipulator arm assembly is available so that another instrument may be introduced at the work site. Alternatively, the remaining robotic manipulator arm assembly may be used for introducing a second endoscope or another image capturing device, such as an ultrasound transducer, to the work site.

Each of the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 is conventionally formed of links that are coupled together and manipulated through actuatable joints. Each of the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 includes a setup arm and a device manipulator. The setup arm positions its held device so that a pivot point occurs at its entry aperture into the patient. The device manipulator may then manipulate its held device so that it may be pivoted about the pivot point, inserted into and retracted out of the entry aperture, and rotated about its shaft axis.

In the depicted embodiment, thesurgeon console40 includes a stereo vision display45 so that the user may view the surgical work site in stereo vision from images captured by the stereoscopic camera of the patient-side cart100. Left and right eyepieces,46 and47, are provided in the stereo vision display45 so that the user may view left and right display screens inside the display45 respectively with the user's left and right eyes. While viewing typically an image of the surgical site on a suitable viewer or display, the surgeon performs the surgical procedures on the patient by manipulating master control input devices, which in turn control the motion of robotic instruments.

Thesurgeon console40 also includes left andright input devices41,42 that the user may grasp respectively with his/her left and right hands to manipulate devices (e.g., surgical instruments) being held by the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 of the patient-side cart100 in preferably six degrees-of-freedom (“DOF”).Foot pedals44 with toe and heel controls are provided on thesurgeon console40 so the user may control movement and/or actuation of devices associated with the foot pedals.

Aprocessor43 is provided in thesurgeon console40 for control and other purposes. Theprocessor43 performs various functions in the medical robotic system. One function performed byprocessor43 is to translate and transfer the mechanical motion ofinput devices41,42 to actuate their respective joints in their associated roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 so that the surgeon can effectively manipulate devices, such as the surgical instruments. Another function of theprocessor43 is to implement the methods, cross-coupling control logic, and controllers described herein.

Although described as a processor, it is to be appreciated that theprocessor43 may be implemented by any combination of hardware, software and firmware. Also, its functions as described herein may be performed by one unit or divided up among a number of subunits, each of which may be implemented in turn by any combination of hardware, software and firmware. Further, although being shown as part of or being physically adjacent to thesurgeon console40, theprocessor43 may also be distributed as subunits throughout the telesurgery system.

Referring also toFIG.3, the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 can manipulate devices such as surgical instruments to perform minimally invasive surgery. For example, in the depicted arrangement the roboticmanipulator arm assembly120 is pivotably coupled to aninstrument holder122. Acannula180 and asurgical instrument200 and are, in turn, releasably coupled to theinstrument holder122. Thecannula180 is a tubular member that is located at the patient interface site during a surgery. Thecannula180 defines a lumen in which anelongate shaft220 of thesurgical instrument200 is slidably disposed.

Theinstrument holder122 is pivotably coupled to a distal end of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly120. In some embodiments, the pivotable coupling between theinstrument holder122 and the distal end of roboticmanipulator arm assembly120 is a motorized joint that is actuatable by thesurgeon console40 andprocessor43.

Theinstrument holder122 includes aninstrument holder frame124, acannula clamp126, and aninstrument holder carriage128. In the depicted embodiment, thecannula clamp126 is fixed to a distal end of theinstrument holder frame124. Thecannula clamp126 can be actuated to couple with, or to uncouple from, thecannula180. Theinstrument holder carriage128 is movably coupled to theinstrument holder frame124. More particularly, theinstrument holder carriage128 is linearly translatable along theinstrument holder frame124. In some embodiments, the movement of theinstrument holder carriage128 along theinstrument holder frame124 is a motorized, translational movement that is actuatable/controllable by theprocessor43.

Thesurgical instrument200 includes atransmission assembly210, theelongate shaft220, and anend effector230. Thetransmission assembly210 is releasably coupleable with theinstrument holder carriage128. Theshaft220 extends distally from thetransmission assembly210. Theend effector230 is disposed at a distal end of theshaft220.

Theshaft220 defines alongitudinal axis222 that is coincident with a longitudinal axis of thecannula180. As theinstrument holder carriage128 translates along theinstrument holder frame124, theelongate shaft220 of thesurgical instrument200 is moved along thelongitudinal axis222. In such a manner, theend effector230 can be inserted and/or retracted from a surgical workspace within the body of a patient.

Also referring toFIGS.4-6, a variety of alternative robotic surgical instruments of different types anddiffering end effectors230 may be used, with the instruments of at least some of the manipulators being removed and replaced during a surgical procedure. Several of these end effectors, including, for example, DeBakey Forceps56i, microforceps56ii, and Potts scissors56iiiinclude first and secondend effector elements56a,56bwhich pivot relative to each other so as to define a pair of end effector jaws. Other end effectors, including scalpels and electrocautery probes, have a single end effector element. For instruments having end effector jaws, the jaws will often be actuated by squeezing the grip members ofinput devices41,42.

Theelongate shaft220 allow theend effector230 and the distal end of theshaft220 to be inserted distally into a surgical worksite through a minimally invasive aperture (via cannula180), often through an abdominal wall or the like. The surgical worksite may be insufflated, and movement of theend effectors230 within the patient will often be effected, at least in part, by pivoting of theinstruments200 about the location at which theshaft220 passes through the minimally invasive aperture. In other words, the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 will move thetransmission assembly210 outside the patient so that theshaft220 extends through a minimally invasive aperture location so as to help provide a desired movement ofend effector50. Hence, the roboticmanipulator arm assemblies120,130,140, and150 will often undergo significant movement outside patient during a surgical procedure.

Referring toFIGS.7-10, an example roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 can be coupled with asurgical instrument306 to affect movements of theinstrument306 relative to abase302. As a number of different surgical instruments having differing end effectors may be sequentially mounted on each roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 during a surgical procedure (typically with the help of a surgical assistant), aninstrument holder320 will preferably allow rapid removal and replacement of the mountedsurgical instrument306. It should be understood that the example roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 is merely one non-limiting example of a variety of types of robotic manipulator arm assemblies envisioned within the scope of this disclosure.

The example roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 is mounted to thebase302 by a pivotal mounting joint322 so as to allow the remainder of roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 to rotate about a first joint axis J1, with the first joint322 providing rotation about a vertical axis in the exemplary embodiment.Base302 and first joint322 generally comprise a proximal portion of roboticmanipulator arm assembly304, with the manipulator extending distally from the base towardinstrument holder320 andend effector50.

Describing the individual links of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 as illustrated inFIGS.7-9, along with the axes of rotation of the joints connecting the links as illustrated inFIG.10, afirst link324 extends distally frombase302 and rotates about first pivotal joint axis J1 at joint322. Many of the remainder of the joints can be identified by their associated rotational axes inFIG.10. For example, a distal end offirst link324 is coupled to a proximal end of asecond link326 at a joint providing a horizontal pivotal axis J2. A proximal end of athird link328 is coupled to the distal end of thesecond link326 at a roll joint so that the third link generally rotates or rolls at joint J3 about an axis extending along (and ideally aligned with) axes of both the second and third links. Proceeding distally, after another pivotal joint J4, the distal end of afourth link330 is coupled toinstrument holder320 by a pair of pivotal joints J5, J6 that together define aninstrument holder wrist332. A translational or prismatic joint J7 of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 facilitates axial movement ofinstrument306 through the minimally invasive aperture, and also facilitates attachment of theinstrument holder320 to a cannula through which theinstrument306 is slidably inserted.

Distally ofinstrument holder320, thesurgical instrument306 may include additional degrees of freedom. Actuation of the degrees of freedom of thesurgical instrument306 will often be driven by motors of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly304. Alternative embodiments may separate thesurgical instrument306 from the supporting manipulator arm structure at a quickly detachable instrument holder/instrument interface so that one or more joints shown here as being on thesurgical instrument306 are instead on the interface, or vice versa. In other words, the interface between thesurgical instrument306 and roboticmanipulator arm assembly304 may be disposed more proximally or distally along the kinematic chain of the manipulator arm assembly304 (which may include both the surgical instrument and the manipulator arm assembly304). In the exemplary embodiment, thesurgical instrument306 includes a rotational joint J8 proximally of the pivot point PP, which generally is disposed at the site of a minimally invasive aperture. A distal wrist of thesurgical instrument306 allows pivotal motion ofend effector50 about instrument wrist joint axes J9, J10. An angle α between end effector jaw elements may be controlled independently of theend effector50 location and orientation.

Referring now toFIGS.11-13, an example roboticmanipulator arm assembly502 includes amanipulator arm assembly504 and asurgical instrument506 having anend effector508. The term manipulator assembly, as used herein, may in some cases also encompass the manipulator arm without the surgical instrument mounted thereon. The illustrated roboticmanipulator arm assembly502 generally extends from aproximal base510 distally to theend effector508, with theend effector508 and distal portion of thesurgical instrument506 configured for insertion into an internalsurgical site512 via a minimally invasivesurgical access514. The joint structure of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly502 is similar to that described above regardingFIG.10, and includes sufficient degrees of freedom to allow the manipulator assembly to be anywhere within a range of differing joint states for a given end effector position, even when thesurgical instrument506 is constrained to passage through minimallyinvasive aperture514.

When the access site to a minimally invasive surgical procedure is to be changed from a first aperture location514ato asecond aperture location514b, it will often be desirable to manually reposition some or all of the links of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly502. Similarly, when initially setting up therobotic manipulator assembly502 for surgery, themanipulator assembly502 may be manually moved into a desired position aligned with the aperture location through which the associatedsurgical instrument506 is to access thesurgical site512. However, in light of the highly configurable manipulator arm structure having a relatively large number of joints between (for example)base510 and the instrument/manipulator interface (seeFIG.10), such manual positioning of the links can be challenging. Even when therobotic manipulator assembly502 structure is balanced to avoid gravitational effects, attempting to align each of the joints in an appropriate arrangement can be difficult for one person, time consuming, and may involve significant training and/or skill. The challenges can be even greater when the links of therobotic manipulator assembly502 are not balanced about the joints, as positioning such a highly configurable structures in an appropriate configuration to begin surgery can be a struggle due to the manipulator's arm length and its passive and limp design.

To facilitate setting up therobotic manipulator assembly502 for a surgical procedure (or to facilitate reconfiguring themanipulator assembly502 for accessing a different tissue of the patient), theprocessor43 of surgeon console40 (seeFIG.2) may actively drive joints of the manipulator assembly during502. In some cases, such driving may be in response to manual movement of at least one joint of themanipulator assembly502. InFIG.13, a hand H of a system operator (optionally a surgeon, assistant, technician, or the like) manually moves a link of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly502 or thesurgical instrument506 into alignment with a desired minimallyinvasive aperture514b. During this movement, the processor drives joints proximal of the hand/manipulator engagement. As the roboticmanipulator arm assembly502 will often have sufficient degrees of freedom so as to be in a range of alternative configurations, the proximal joints may be driven to a desired manipulator state without inhibiting the manual positioning of the distal portion of the roboticmanipulator arm assembly502. Optionally, the joints may be driven so as to compensate for gravity, to inhibit momentum effects, to provide a desired (and often readily overcome) resistance to the manual movement so as to give the hand the impression of plastically deforming the manipulator structure at its joints, so as to keep the configurable linkage assembly in a desired pose, or the like. While this movement is shown inFIG.13 as being performed with thesurgical instrument506 attached to the roboticmanipulator arm assembly504, the manipulator assembly will often be manually positioned prior to attachment of thesurgical instrument506 to the roboticmanipulator arm assembly504.

Referring toFIGS.14 and15, therobotic manipulator assembly502 may be reconfigured by the processor43 (FIG.2) for any of a variety of differing reasons. For example, a joint526 may be driven from a downward oriented apex configuration to an upward oriented apex configuration so as to inhibit collisions with an adjacent arm, equipment, or personnel; to enhance a range of motion of theend effector508; in response to physiological movement of the patient such as patient breathing or the like; in response to repositioning of the patient, such as by reorienting a surgical table; and the like. Some, but not all, of these changes in configuration of therobotic manipulator assembly502 may be in response to external forces applied to themanipulator assembly502, with theprocessor43 often driving a different joint of themanipulator assembly502 than that which is being acted upon by the external force. In other cases, theprocessor43 will reconfigure therobotic manipulator assembly502 in response to calculations performed by theprocessor43. In either case, theprocessor43 may vary from a simple master-slave controller to drive therobotic manipulator assembly502 in response to a signal to provide apreferred manipulator assembly502 configuration. Such configuring of therobotic manipulator assembly502 may occur during master-slave end effector movements, during manual or other reconfiguration of themanipulator assembly502, and/or at least in part at a different time, such as after releasing a clutch input.

Referring now toFIG.16, a simplified controller schematic diagram530 shows a master/slave controller532 coupling amaster input device534 to aslave manipulator536. In this example, the controller inputs, outputs, and computations are described using vector mathematical notation in which the vector x will often refer to a position vector in a Cartesian coordinates, and in which the vector q will reference a joint articulation configuration vector of an associated linkage (most often of the manipulator slave linkage), sometimes referred to as the linkage position in joint space. Subscripts can be appended to these vectors to identify a specific structure when ambiguity might otherwise exist, so that x_m(for example) is a position of the master input device in the associated master workspace or coordinate system, while x_s, indicates a position of the slave in the workspace. Velocity vectors associated with the position vectors are indicated by a dot over the vector or the word “dot” between the vector and the subscript, such as xdot_mor {dot over (x)}_mfor the master velocity vector, with the velocity vectors being mathematically defined as the change in the position vector with a change in time (dx_m/dt for the master velocity vector example).

Example controller532 comprises an inverse Jacobian velocity controller. Where x_mis a position of the master input device and {dot over (x)}_mis the velocity of the master input device, thecontroller532 calculates motor commands for transmission to themanipulator536 to effect slave end effector motions that correspond to the input device from the master velocities. Similarly,controller532 can calculate force reflection signals to be applied to the master input device (and from there to the operator's hand) from the slave position x_sand/or slave velocity {dot over (x)}_s. A number of refinements to this simple master/slave inverse Jacobian controller schematic are desirable, including those illustrated inFIG.19 and described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,885 (“the '885 patent”), the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Referring now toFIG.17, a processor542 (also called “controller542”) may be characterized as including afirst controller module544 and asecond controller module546. Thefirst module544 may comprise a primary joint controller, such as an inverse Jacobian master-slave controller. The primary joint controller offirst module544 may be configured for generating the desired manipulator assembly movements in response to inputs from themaster input device534. However, as noted above, many of the manipulator linkages described herein have a range of alternative configurations for a given end effector position in space. As a result, a command for the end effector to assume a given position could result in a wide variety of different joint movements and configurations, some of which may be much more desirable than others. Hence, thesecond module546 may be configured to help drive the manipulator assembly to a desired configuration, in some embodiments driving the manipulator toward a preferred configuration during master-slave movements. In many embodiments,second module546 will comprise a configuration dependent filter.

In broad mathematical terms, both the primary joint controller offirst module544 and the configuration dependent filter ofsecond module546 may comprise filters used by processor542 to route control authority for linear combinations of joints to the service of one or more surgical goals or tasks. If we assume that X is the space of joint motion, F(X) might be a filter giving control over the joints to i) provide a desired end effector movement, and ii) provide pivotal motion of the instrument shaft at the aperture site. Hence, the primary joint controller offirst module544 may comprise filter F(X). Conceptually, (1−F⁻¹F)(X) could describe a configuration dependent subspace filter giving control actuation authority to the linear combination of joint velocities that are orthogonal to serving the goal of the primary joint controller (in this example, end effector movement and pivotal instrument shaft motion). Hence, this configuration dependent filter could be used by thesecond module546 of controller542 to service a second goal, such as maintaining a desired pose of the manipulator assembly, inhibiting collisions, or the like. Both filters may be further sub-divided into more filters corresponding to serving more specific tasks. For example, filter F(X) could be separated into F₁(X) and F₂(X) for control of the end effector and control of the pivotal shaft motion, respectively, either of which may be chosen as the primary or highest priority task of the processor.

While the mathematical calculations performed by the modules may (at least in part) be similar, the robotic processors and control techniques described herein will often make use of a primary joint controller configured for a first (sometimes referred to as a primary) controller task, and a configuration dependent filter which makes use of an under-constrained solution generated by the primary joint controller for a second (also referred to as secondary) task. In much of the following description, the primary joint controller will be described with reference to a first module, while the configuration dependent filter will be described with reference to a second module. Additional functions (such as additional subspace filters) and or additional modules of varying priorities may also be included.

As noted elsewhere herein, the hardware and/or programming code for performing the functions described with reference to such first and second modules may be fully integrated, partially integrated, or fully separate. Controller542 may employ the functions of the two modules simultaneously, and/or may have a plurality of differing modes in which one or both modules are used separately or in different ways. For example, in some embodiments,first module544 might be used with little or no influence fromsecond module546 during master-slave manipulations, and thesecond module546 having a greater role during setup of the system when the end effector is not being driven robotically, such as during port clutching or other manual articulations of the manipulator assembly. Nonetheless, in many embodiments both modules may be active most of or all the time robotic motion is enabled. For example, by setting gains of the first module to zero, by setting x_sto x_{s, actual}, and/or by reducing the matrix rank in the inverse Jacobian controller so that it doesn't control as much and letting the configuration dependent filter have more control authority, the influence of the first module on the state of the manipulator assembly can be reduced or eliminated so as to change a mode of processor542 from a tissue manipulator mode to a clutch mode.

FIG.18 illustrates a refinement of the simplified master-slave control schematic540 fromFIG.17, and shows how different modules might be used in different processor modes. As illustrated inFIG.18,first module544 may, for example, comprise some form of a Jacobian controller having a Jacobian-related matrix.Second module546 may, in a port clutch mode, receive signals from theslave manipulator536 indicating a position or velocity of the slave generated at least in part by manual articulation of the slave manipulator linkage. In response to this input, thesecond module546 can generate motor commands appropriate for driving the joints of the slave so as to allow the manual articulation of the slave linkage while configuring the slave in the desired joint configuration. During master-slave end effector manipulation, the controller may usesecond module546 to help derive motor commands based on a different signal bqdot₀. This alternative input signal to thesecond module546 of controller542 may be used to drive the manipulator linkage so as to maintain or move the minimally invasive aperture pivot location along the manipulator structure, so as to avoid collisions between a plurality of manipulators, so as to enhance a range of motion of the manipulator structure and/or avoid singularities, so as to produce a desired pose of the manipulator, or the like. Hence, bqdot₀can generally comprise and/or indicate (for example) a desired set of joint velocities, more generally representing a secondary control goal, typically in joint space. In other embodiments, the processor may include separate modules and/or dependent configuration filters for clutching, secondary controller tasks, and the like.

Referring now toFIG.20, a partial control schematic550 illustrates modifications of the controller illustrated inFIG.19. Control schematic550 very roughly represents a modification ofportion551 of the controller ofFIG.11 to facilitate control over manipulator assemblies have large numbers of degrees of freedom. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG.20, thefirst module544 comprises an inverse Jacobian velocity controller, with the output from calculations made using an inverse Jacobian matrix modified according to avirtual slave path552. First describing the virtual slave path, vectors associated with the virtual slave are generally indicated by a v subscript, so that a virtual slave velocity in joint space qdot_vis integrated to provide q_v, which is processed using an inverse kinematic module554 to generate a virtual slave joint position signal x_v. The virtual slave position and master input command x_mare combined and processed usingforward kinematics556. The use of a virtual slave (often having simplified dynamics) facilitates smooth control and force reflection when approaching hard limits of the system, when transgressing soft limits of the system, and the like, as can be more fully understood with reference to the '885 patent previously incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, calculation of motor commands such as joint torque signals or the like from joint controllers in response to the output from the inverse Jacobian matrix (as modified or augmented by the second module546) via appropriate joint controllers, input and output processing, and the like are more fully described in the '885 patent.

Addressing the structure generally indicated by the first andsecond control modules544,546, and of the other components of control schematic550 and other controllers described herein, these structures will often comprise data processing hardware, software, and/or firmware. Such structures will often include reprogrammable software, data, and the like, which may be embodied in machine-readable code and stored in a tangible medium for use byprocessor43 of surgeon console40 (seeFIG.2). The machine-readable code may be stored in a wide variety of different configurations, including random access memory, non-volatile memory, write-once memory, magnetic recording media, optical recording media, and the like. Signals embodying the code and/or data associated therewith may be transmitted by a wide variety of communication links, including the Internet, an intranet, an Ethernet, wireless communication networks and links, electrical signals and conductors, optical fibers and networks, and the like.Processor43 may, as illustrated inFIG.2, comprise one or more data processors ofsurgeon console40, and/or may include localized data processing circuits of one or more of the manipulators, the instruments, a separate and/or remote processing structure or location, and the like, and the modules described herein may comprise (for example) a single common processor board, a plurality of separate boards, or one or more of the modules may be separated onto a plurality of boards, some of which also run some or all of the calculation of another module. Similarly, the software code of the modules may be written as a single integrated software code, the modules may each be separated into individual subroutines, or parts of the code of one module may be combined with some or all of the code of another module. Hence, the data and processing structures may include any of a wide variety of centralized or distributed data processing and/or programming architectures.

Addressing the output of the controller ofFIG.20 in more detail, the controller will often seek to solve for one particular manipulator joint configuration vector q for use in generating commands for these highly configurable slave manipulator mechanisms. As noted above, the manipulator linkages often have sufficient degrees of freedom so as to occupy a range of joint states for a given end effector state. Such structures may (but will often not) comprise linkages having true redundant degrees of freedom, that is, structures in which actuation of one joint may be directly replaced by a similar actuation of a different joint along the kinematic chain. Nonetheless, these structures are sometimes referred to as having excess, extra, or redundant degrees of freedom, with these terms (in the broad sense) generally encompassing kinematic chains in which (for example) intermediate links can move without changing the position (including both location and orientation) of an end effector.

When directing movement of highly configurable manipulators using the velocity controller ofFIG.20, the primary joint controller of the first module often seeks to determine or solve for a virtual joint velocity vector qdot_vthat can be used to drive the joints ofslave manipulator536 in such a way that the end effector will accurately follow the master command x_m. However, for slave mechanisms with redundant degrees of freedom, an inverse Jacobian Matrix generally does not fully define a joint vector solution. For example, the mapping from Cartesian command xdot to joint motion qdot in a system that can occupy a range of joint states for a given end effector state is a mapping of one-to-many. In other words, because the mechanism is redundant, there are a mathematically infinite number of solutions, represented by a subspace in which the inverse lives. The controller may embody this relationship using a Jacobian matrix that has more columns than rows, mapping a plurality of joint velocities into comparatively few Cartesian velocities. Our solution J⁻¹{dot over (x)} will often seek to undo this collapsing of the degrees of freedom of the slave mechanism into the Cartesian workspace.

Additional descriptions pertaining to using a processor configured by software instructions to calculate a software-constrained remote center of motion of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,004,229, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In short, the above descriptions (and the descriptions in U.S. Pat. No. 8,004,229) enable the pivot point (remote center of motion) to be determined/estimated through software, hence the notion of a software-constrained remote center of motion. By having the capability to compute software pivot points, different modes characterized by the compliance or stiffness of the system can be selectively implemented. More particularly, different system modes over a range of pivot points/centers (i.e., ranging from one have a passive pivot point to one having a fixed/rigid pivot point) can be implemented after an estimate pivot point is computed. For example, in a fixed pivot implementation, the estimated pivot point can be compared to a desired pivot point to generate an error output which can be used to drive the instrument's pivot to the desired location. Conversely, in a passive pivot implementation, while the a desired pivot location may not be an overriding objective, an estimated pivot point can be used for error detection and consequently safety because changes in estimated pivot point locations may indicate that the patient has been moved or a sensor is malfunctioning thereby giving the system an opportunity to take corrective action.

The interaction between the moving instrument and the tissue of the minimally invasive aperture may be determined at least in part by the processor, the processor optionally allowing the compliance or stiffness of the system to be changed throughout a range extending from a passive pivot point to a fixed pivot point. At the passive end of the passive/rigid range, the proximal end of the instrument may be moved in space while the motors of the instrument holder wrist joint apply little or no torque, so that the instrument acts effectively like it is coupled to the manipulator or robotic arm by a pair of passive joints. In this mode, the interaction between the instrument shaft and the tissue along the minimally invasive aperture induces the pivotal motion of the instrument about the pivot point. If the surgical instrument was not inserted into the minimally invasive aperture or otherwise constrained, it may point downward under the influence of gravity, and movement of the manipulator arm would translate the hanging instrument without pivotal motion about a site along the instrument shaft. Toward the rigid end of the passive/rigid range, the location of the minimally invasive aperture may be input or calculated as a fixed point in space. The motors associated with each joint of the kinematic chain disposed proximal of the pivot point may then drive the manipulator so that any lateral force laterally against the shaft at the calculate pivot point results in a reaction force to keep the shaft through the pivot point. Such a system may, in some ways, behave similar to mechanically constrained remote center linkages. Many embodiments will fall between these two extremes, providing calculated motion which generally pivots at the access site, and which adapts or moves the pivotal center of motion within an acceptable range when the tissue along the minimally invasive access site moves, without imposing excessive lateral forces on that tissue.

Referring toFIGS.21 and22, anexample instrument holder620 is pivotably coupled at a joint610 to adistal-most link600 of a robotic manipulator arm assembly in a configuration that can be used to perform telesurgery in accordance with the telesurgical systems and concepts described herein. Asurgical instrument640 is releasably coupled toinstrument holder620. Acannula660 is located at a minimally invasivesurgical interface site10. In the depicted embodiment, thecannula660 is detached from theinstrument holder620. While in the depicted embodiment theinstrument holder620 is pivotably coupled to thedistal-most link600 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly, in some embodiments a translating coupling or a prismatic joint coupling is used to couple theinstrument holder620 to thedistal-most link600. Such pivoting, translating, and/or prismatic joints can be incorporated in any of the embodiments described herein.

Theinstrument holder620 includes aninstrument holder frame622, andinstrument holder carriage624, and an optionalinstrument shaft guide626. Theinstrument holder carriage624 is movably coupled to theinstrument holder frame622. More particularly, theinstrument holder carriage624 is linearly translatable along theinstrument holder frame622. In some embodiments, the movement of theinstrument holder carriage624 along theinstrument holder frame622 is a motorized, translational movement that is actuatable/controllable by a processor of the telesurgical system. The optionalinstrument shaft guide626 can be affixed to, or releasably coupleable to, theinstrument holder frame622.

Thesurgical instrument640 includes atransmission assembly642, anelongate shaft644, and anend effector646. Thetransmission assembly642 is releasably coupleable with theinstrument holder carriage624. Theshaft644 extends distally from thetransmission assembly642. Theshaft644 is slidably coupled with a lumen defined by thecannula660 and with a lumen defined by the optionalinstrument shaft guide626. Theend effector646 is disposed at a distal end of theshaft644, and is located within a surgical workspace within the body of the patient during the telesurgery procedure.

Theelongate shaft644 defines an instrument axis, this particular instrument axis being alongitudinal axis641. By virtue of the physical engagement between theshaft644 and thecannula660, thelongitudinal axis641 is coincident with a longitudinal axis of thecannula660. As theinstrument holder carriage624 translates along theinstrument holder frame622, theelongate shaft644 of thesurgical instrument640 moves along thelongitudinal axis641. Thelongitudinal axis641 remains fixed in space as theinstrument holder carriage624 translates along theinstrument holder frame622. In that manner (by translating theinstrument holder carriage624 along the instrument holder frame622), theend effector646 can be inserted into and/or retracted from the surgical workspace within the body of the patient along a line (defined by the longitudinal axis641) that is fixed in space.

Additionally, in the depicted embodiment, theend effector646 can be inserted into and/or retracted from the surgical workspace along the line fixed in space (defined by the longitudinal axis641) in a second manner. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, movement of thedistal-most link600 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly in combination with movement of the pivotable joint610 can result in moving thesurgical instrument640 along thelongitudinal axis641 while thelongitudinal axis641 remains fixed in space.

In some embodiments, thecannula660 is curved (in contrast to thelinear cannula660 shown) and theelongate shaft644 of thesurgical instrument640 is flexible such that theelongate shaft644 can conform to the curve of thecannula660. In such a case, the end portion of theelongate shaft644 that linearly extends from thetransmission assembly642 proximal to thecurved cannula660 defines thelongitudinal axis641. It should be understood that any of the embodiments described herein can alternatively include a curved cannula.

In some embodiments, theelongate shaft644 of thesurgical instrument640 is curved (in contrast to the linearelongate shaft644 shown). In such a case, thelongitudinal axis641 is a curved line that is coincident with the curvedelongate shaft644. It should be understood that any of the embodiments described herein can alternatively include a surgical instrument with a curved elongate shaft.

FIG.21 shows theend effector646 inserted at a first depth D₁.FIG.22 shows theend effector646 inserted at a second depth D₂. The second depth D₂is greater than the first depth D₁. In both configurations, thelongitudinal axis641 is located along the same line in space.

Transforming from the arrangement ofFIG.21 to the arrangement ofFIG.22, can involve two types of movements. First, theinstrument holder carriage624 is translated along theinstrument holder frame622, resulting in a first movement of thesurgical instrument640 deeper into the patient. Second, movement of thedistal-most link600 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly in combination with movement of the pivotable joint610 results in a second movement of thesurgical instrument640, still deeper into the patient. The difference between the second depth D₂and the first depth D₁is made up of the sum of the first and second movements. Both types of movements can be made while keeping thelongitudinal axis641 fixed (consistently coincident) along a line in space.

While the immediately preceding description involves two movements both of which result in moving thesurgical instrument640 deeper into the patient, it should be understood that the same principles are applicable for retracting thesurgical instrument640 from the patient. Moreover, any combination of the aforementioned first and second movements can be performed. For example, a first movement of theinstrument holder carriage624 along theinstrument holder frame622 can be made to retract thesurgical instrument640 from the patient, and a second movement of the robotic manipulator arm'sdistal-most link600 and the pivotable joint610 can be made to insert thesurgical instrument640 into the patient. Such movements can be made concurrently (contemporaneously) or sequentially (noncontemporaneously).

Referring also toFIG.23, a flowchart of a two-step method700 for moving a surgical instrument along a line fixed in space is presented. Themethod700 uses the concepts described above in reference toFIGS.21 and22.

Inoperation710, a robotic manipulator arm is moved to cause an elongate surgical instrument coupled to the robotic manipulator arm to move along a fixed line in space that is defined by a longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument. Such a movement can be illustrated, for example, by a comparison betweenFIGS.21 and22. InFIG.22, thedistal-most link600 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly is closer to the patient than inFIG.21. As described above, as thedistal-most link600 was moved closer to the patient, thesurgical instrument640 was correspondingly moved along thelongitudinal axis641 that was consistently maintained along a line fixed in space. Said differently, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, movement of thedistal-most link600 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can result in moving thesurgical instrument640 along thelongitudinal axis641 while thelongitudinal axis641 remains fixed in space. The movement of thedistal-most link600 may be made in coordination with movement of the pivotable joint610. Alternatively, in some cases as the robotic manipulator arm is moved to cause the elongate surgical instrument to extend deeper into the surgical space, instrument may be experiencing pitch and yaw motions about the remote center while the instrument depth is also being controlled. Three-dimensional end-effector trajectories may be composed of some variations in pitch, yaw, and insertion of the instrument. In such a case, the longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument is not necessarily fixed in space.

Inoperation720, the surgical instrument is moved along the fixed line in space (as defined by thelongitudinal axis641, per operation710) independent of the robotic manipulator arm movement. For example, again referring to a comparison betweenFIGS.21 and22, theinstrument holder carriage624 can be translated along theinstrument holder frame622, resulting in a movement of thesurgical instrument640 along thelongitudinal axis641 while thelongitudinal axis641 remains fixed in space. Such a movement can be made independent of the movement of thedistal-most link600 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly.

In some cases,operation720 may include periodically re-centering theinstrument holder carriage624 on theinstrument holder frame622. By re-centering theinstrument holder carriage624 on theinstrument holder frame622, approximately one-half of the full travel of theinstrument holder carriage624 relative to theinstrument holder frame622 is made available for movements in either direction (insertion and retraction). As the re-centering motion(s) is taking place, in some cases the position of theend effector646 can be held substantially stationary.

In some cases, limitations can be established regarding the movements of the robotic manipulator arm and/or the instrument holder carriage (with respect tooperations710 and720). In one such example, referring to the embodiment ofFIGS.21 and22, in some cases the insertion of theinstrument holder frame622 is limited so that theinstrument holder frame622 will not collide with thecannula660. In another example, in some cases the combined retraction of theinstrument holder carriage624 and theinstrument holder frame622 is limited so that theinstrument end effector646 does not get pulled out of thecannula660. In another example, in some cases the distance that theinstrument holder frame622 is allowed to be retracted from thecannula660 is limited, and any farther retractions along thelongitudinal axis641 are made by movements of theinstrument holder carriage624.

It should be understood that theoperations710 and720 can be performed in either order without departing from the scope of themethod700. Moreover, theoperations710 and720 can be performed concurrently (contemporaneously) or sequentially (noncontemporaneously) without departing from the scope of themethod700.

The use ofmethod700 can provide advantages pertaining to the design and operation of telesurgical systems. For example, because movements of theinstrument holder carriage624 along theinstrument holder frame622 involve relatively low inertia,operation720 can be particularly well-suited to actuating short, quick movements of thesurgical instrument640, whereas longer, slower movements can be performed by moving the robotic manipulator arm as inoperation710. Having such a combination of movements available in accordance withmethod700, the robotic manipulator arm and/or theinstrument holder620 can be made smaller and lighter. Therefore, the potential for interference between a system's robotic manipulator arm assemblies is lessened. In addition, the use of less powerful motors for actuation of the system's robotic manipulator arm assemblies and lighter weight links may be made feasible by the use ofmethod700.

In some embodiments, slow movements (i.e., those movements designated for performance by the robotic manipulator arm) can be differentiated from quick movements (i.e., those movements designated for performance by the instrument holder carriage) by defining a frequency cut off. For example, in some embodiments the controller uses a low-pass filtering operation on the desired motion of the instrument and uses the output of this filter to drive the motion of the robotic manipulator arm. The remaining high frequency motion components are used by the controller to drive the motion of the instrument holder carriage. Conversely, in some embodiments the control system filters the desired motion of the instrument using a high-pass filter and uses the output of this filter to drive the motion of the instrument holder carriage, while using the remaining portion of the signal to drive the motion of the robotic manipulator arm. Referring toFIG.24, anexample instrument holder820 is pivotably coupled at a joint810 to adistal-most link800 of a robotic manipulator arm assembly in a configuration that can be used to perform telesurgery in accordance with the telesurgical systems and concepts described herein. Asurgical instrument840 is releasably coupled toinstrument holder820. Acannula860 is located at a minimally invasivesurgical interface site10.

The depicted arrangement is generally analogous to that ofFIGS.21 and22, with the exception that, in the depicted arrangement, thecannula860 is coupled to theinstrument holder820 via a linearly adjustable assembly826 (whereas inFIGS.21 and22 thecannula660 is detached from the instrument holder620). The linearlyadjustable assembly826 extends from theinstrument holder820. Acannula clamp827 can be located at the free end of the linearlyadjustable assembly826. Thecannula clamp827 can be used to releasably couple thecannula860 to theinstrument holder820 via the linearlyadjustable assembly826. Such an arrangement can support lateral loads applied to theinstrument shaft844 and may help prevent thecannula860 from shifting in relation to thesurgical interface site10.

In some embodiments, the linearlyadjustable assembly826 is active. That is, in some embodiments the linearlyadjustable assembly826 is driven by an actuator (e.g., a motor), such that the linearlyadjustable assembly826 extends and retracts by powered actuation. Such powered actuation can be actuated/controlled by a processor of a surgeon console (e.g., as perFIG.2). In some embodiments, the linearlyadjustable assembly826 is passive. That is, in some embodiments the linearlyadjustable assembly826 is not driven by an actuator. Instead, the linearlyadjustable assembly826 may extend and retract in response to being acted on by external forces from contact with adjacent objects, gravity, and the like. In some passive and/or active embodiments, the linearlyadjustable assembly826 is braked so as to be able to hold its position when needed.

It should be recognized that the arrangement depicted inFIG.24 can be operated in accordance withmethod700 ofFIG.23. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, thedistal-most link800 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can be moved to result in moving thesurgical instrument840 along thelongitudinal axis841 while thelongitudinal axis841 remains fixed in space. In addition, theinstrument holder carriage824 can be translated along theinstrument holder frame822, resulting in a movement of thesurgical instrument840 along thelongitudinal axis841 while thelongitudinal axis841 remains fixed in space. Such a movement can be made independent of the movement of thedistal-most link800 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly.

Referring toFIG.25, anexample instrument holder920 is pivotably coupled at a joint910 to adistal-most link900 of a robotic manipulator arm assembly in a configuration that can be used to perform telesurgery in accordance with the telesurgical systems and concepts described herein. Asurgical instrument940 is releasably coupled toinstrument holder920. Acannula960 is located at a minimally invasivesurgical interface site10.

The depicted arrangement includes alinear actuator mechanism926 that facilitates translation of the joint910 along theinstrument holder frame922. Therefore, theinstrument holder920 can pivot and translate in relation to thedistal-most link900. In some embodiments, thelinear actuator mechanism926 can be a mechanism such as, but not limited to, a lead screw assembly, a rack and pinion gear arrangement, a telescoping assembly, and the like.

It should be recognized that the arrangement depicted inFIG.25 can be operated in accordance withmethod700 ofFIG.23. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, thedistal-most link900 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can be moved to result in moving thesurgical instrument940 along thelongitudinal axis941 while thelongitudinal axis941 remains fixed in space. In addition, theinstrument holder carriage924 can be translated along theinstrument holder frame922, resulting in a movement of thesurgical instrument940 along thelongitudinal axis941 while thelongitudinal axis941 remains fixed in space. Such a movement can be made independent of the movement of thedistal-most link900 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly.

Referring toFIG.26, anexample instrument holder1020 is pivotably coupled at a joint1010 to adistal-most link1000 of a robotic manipulator arm assembly in a configuration that can be used to perform telesurgery in accordance with the telesurgical systems and concepts described herein. Asurgical instrument1040 is releasably coupled toinstrument holder1020. Acannula1060 is located at a minimally invasivesurgical interface site10.

Theinstrument holder1020 includes a linearly adjustableupper portion1022 and a linearly adjustablelower portion1026. The linearly adjustableupper portion1022 and the linearly adjustablelower portion1026 are coupled to amiddle portion1021 that is pivotably coupled with thedistal-most link1000 at the joint1010. The linearlyadjustable portions1022 and1026 can be extended and/or retracted in relation to themiddle portion1021. In some embodiments, the linearlyadjustable portions1022 and1026 are telescoping assemblies. In some embodiments, either of or both of the linearlyadjustable portions1022 and1026 are active (power actuated). In some embodiments, either of or both of the linearlyadjustable portions1022 and1026 are passive (not power actuated).

Aninstrument holder carriage1024 is coupled with the linearly adjustableupper portion1022. Hence, theinstrument holder carriage1024 can be translated (parallel to axis1041) independent of thedistal-most link1000. Thecannula1060 is releasably coupleable to the linearly adjustablelower portion1026 via acannula clamp1027. Hence, as thedistal-most link1000 moves, thecannula1060 can be maintained in a generally stationary position in relation to the minimally invasive surgical interface site10 (by compensatory movements of the linearly adjustable lower portion1026).

It should be recognized that the arrangement depicted inFIG.26 can be operated in accordance withmethod700 ofFIG.23. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, thedistal-most link1000 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can be moved to result in moving thesurgical instrument1040 along thelongitudinal axis1041 while thelongitudinal axis1041 remains fixed in space. In addition, theinstrument holder carriage1024 can be translated along the instrument holder1020 (in relation to middle portion1021), resulting in a movement of thesurgical instrument1040 along thelongitudinal axis1041 while thelongitudinal axis1041 remains fixed in space. Such a movement can be made independent of the movement of thedistal-most link1000 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly.

Referring toFIG.27, anexample instrument holder1120 is pivotably coupled at a joint1110 to adistal-most link1100 of a robotic manipulator arm assembly in a configuration that can be used to perform telesurgery in accordance with the telesurgical systems and concepts described herein. Asurgical instrument1140 is releasably coupled toinstrument holder1120. Acannula1160 is located at a minimally invasivesurgical interface site10.

The depicted arrangement is generally analogous to that ofFIGS.21 and22, with the exception that, in the depicted arrangement, aninner cannula1162 is coupled with theinstrument holder1120, and theinner cannula1162 extends through thecannula1160 located at the minimally invasivesurgical interface site10. Theinner cannula1162 is slidably coupled with a lumen defined by thecannula1160. The elongate,instrument shaft1144 of thesurgical instrument1140 is slidably coupled with a lumen defined by theinner cannula1162. Such an arrangement can support lateral loads applied to theinstrument shaft1144 and may help prevent thecannula1160 from shifting in relation to thesurgical interface site10. Theinner cannula1162 is longer than thecannula1160.

It should be recognized that the arrangement depicted inFIG.27 can be operated in accordance withmethod700 ofFIG.23. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, thedistal-most link1100 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can be moved to result in moving thesurgical instrument1140 along thelongitudinal axis1141 while thelongitudinal axis1141 remains fixed in space. In addition, theinstrument holder carriage1124 can be translated along theinstrument holder frame1122, resulting in a movement of thesurgical instrument1140 along thelongitudinal axis1141 while thelongitudinal axis1141 remains fixed in space. Such a movement can be made independent of the movement of thedistal-most link1100 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly.

Referring toFIG.28, anexample instrument holder1220 is coupled to adistal-most link1200 of a robotic manipulator arm assembly in a configuration that can be used to perform telesurgery in accordance with the telesurgical systems and concepts described herein. Asurgical instrument1240 is releasably coupled toinstrument holder1220. Acannula1260 is located at a minimally invasivesurgical interface site10.

Theinstrument holder1220 includes aninstrument holder frame1222, aninstrument holder carriage1224, and acannula clamp1227. Theinstrument holder carriage1224 is movably coupled to theinstrument holder frame1222. More particularly, theinstrument holder carriage1224 is linearly translatable along theinstrument holder frame1222. In some embodiments, the movement of theinstrument holder carriage1224 along theinstrument holder frame1222 is a motorized, translational movement that is actuatable/controllable by a processor of the telesurgical system. Thecannula clamp1227 can be affixed to theinstrument holder frame1222. Thecannula clamp1227 can adapt theinstrument holder frame1222 to releasably couple with thecannula1260.

A proximal end portion of theinstrument holder1220 is coupled to thedistal-most link1200. Theinstrument holder1220 includes an articulable portion of theinstrument holder frame1223. The articulable portion of theinstrument holder frame1223 can be manipulated in relation to thedistal-most link1200. In some embodiments, the articulable portion of theinstrument holder frame1223 can be manipulated by a motorized movement that is actuatable/controllable by a processor of the telesurgical system. By manipulating theinstrument holder frame1223 in relation to thedistal-most link1200, the orientation of thecannula1260 can be adjusted. By adjusting the orientation of thecannula1260, a distal portion of thesurgical instrument1240 can be physically controlled.

Thesurgical instrument1240 includes atransmission assembly1242, a flexibleelongate shaft1244, and anend effector1246. Thetransmission assembly1242 is releasably coupleable with theinstrument holder carriage1224. The flexibleelongate shaft1244 extends distally from thetransmission assembly1242. The flexibleelongate shaft1244 is slidably coupled with a lumen defined by thecannula1260. In some embodiments, aguide member1248 is included to facilitate the lateral flexure of the flexibleelongate shaft1244 between thetransmission assembly1242 and thecannula1260. Theend effector1246 is disposed at a distal end of the flexibleelongate shaft1244, and is located within a surgical workspace within the body of the patient during the telesurgery procedure.

Thecannula1260 and the portion of the flexibleelongate shaft1244 that extends distally of thecannula1260 define alongitudinal axis1241. As theinstrument holder carriage1224 translates along theinstrument holder frame1222, the portion of the flexibleelongate shaft1244 that extends distally of thecannula1260 moves along thelongitudinal axis1241. Thelongitudinal axis1241 remains fixed in space as theinstrument holder carriage1224 translates along theinstrument holder frame1222. In that manner (by translating theinstrument holder carriage1224 along the instrument holder frame1222), theend effector1246 can be inserted into and/or retracted from the surgical workspace within the body of the patient along a line (defined by the longitudinal axis1241) that is fixed in space.

Additionally, in the depicted embodiment, theend effector1246 can be inserted into and/or retracted from the surgical workspace along the line fixed in space (defined by the longitudinal axis1241) in a second manner. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, movement of thedistal-most link1200 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly in combination with movement of the articulable portion of theinstrument holder frame1223 can result in moving thesurgical instrument1240 along thelongitudinal axis1241 while thelongitudinal axis1241 remains fixed in space.

It should be recognized that the arrangement depicted inFIG.28 can be operated in accordance withmethod700 ofFIG.23. That is, using the software-constrained remote center of motion techniques described herein, thedistal-most link1200 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly can be moved to result in moving thesurgical instrument1240 along thelongitudinal axis1241 while thelongitudinal axis1241 remains fixed in space. In addition, theinstrument holder carriage1224 can be translated along theinstrument holder frame1222, resulting in a movement of thesurgical instrument1240 along thelongitudinal axis1241 while thelongitudinal axis1241 remains fixed in space. Such a movement can be made independent of the movement of thedistal-most link1200 of the robotic manipulator arm assembly.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described herein as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system modules and components in the embodiments described herein should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single product or packaged into multiple products.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

Claims (24)

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-assisted medical system comprising:

a manipulator arm; and

an instrument holder physically coupled to the manipulator arm by a joint at a distal-most link of the manipulator arm, the instrument holder configured to releasably couple to an instrument, wherein the instrument holder comprises:

an adjustable assembly, and

a cannula clamp physically coupled to the adjustable assembly, wherein a retraction or extension of the adjustable assembly moves the cannula clamp relative to the joint at the distal-most link of the manipulator arm, and wherein the cannula clamp is configured to releasably couple to a cannula configured to receive the instrument.

2. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustable assembly comprises a telescoping assembly.

3. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustable assembly comprises a linearly adjustable assembly.

4. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a brake configured to hold a position of the adjustable assembly.

5. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the instrument holder further comprises:

an instrument holder frame;

an instrument holder carriage coupled to the instrument holder frame, the instrument holder carriage configured to releasably couple to the instrument, and the instrument holder carriage translatable along the instrument holder frame to move the instrument relative to the instrument holder frame.

6. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 5, further comprising:

a processor configured to cause the instrument holder carriage to periodically re-center relative to the instrument holder frame.

7. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 6, wherein the processor is configured to cause the instrument holder carriage to periodically re-center relative to the instrument holder frame by:

causing movement of the instrument holder carriage relative to the instrument holder frame while holding a position of an end effector of the instrument substantially stationary.

8. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustable assembly further comprises: an intermediate component configured to receive a shaft of the instrument when the instrument is coupled to the instrument holder.

9. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustable assembly comprises a lower adjustable assembly, and wherein the instrument holder further comprises: a rigid upper portion configured to couple to the instrument.

10. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustable assembly comprises:

a first adjustable portion coupled to the cannula clamp; and

a second adjustable portion configured to physically couple to the instrument, wherein adjustment of the second adjustable portion moves the instrument relative to the manipulator arm when the instrument is coupled to the second adjustable portion.

11. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 10, wherein:

the first adjustable portion comprises a linearly adjustable lower linear portion;

the second adjustable portion comprises a linearly adjustable upper linear portion; and

the instrument holder further comprises a middle portion physically coupled to the first and second adjustable portions, the middle portion pivotably coupled to the manipulator arm.

12. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the adjustable assembly is passively adjustable to produce the physical adjustment retraction or extension.

13. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, further comprising:

an actuator configured to drive the retraction or extension of the adjustable assembly; and

a processor configured to control the actuator to drive the retraction or extension.

14. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, further comprising a processor, the processor configured to:

obtain a desired motion of the instrument, the desired motion including a longitudinal movement along a longitudinal axis of the instrument;

determine first and second motion components of the longitudinal movement, the first motion component for the manipulator arm, and the second motion for an instrument holder carriage of the instrument holder; and

cause the instrument to move in accordance with the longitudinal movement by:

causing motion the manipulator arm based on the first motion component, and

causing, based on the second motion component, motion of an instrument holder carriage relative to the manipulator arm, the instrument holder comprising the instrument holder carriage.

15. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 14, wherein when the longitudinal movement is a retraction movement, the processor is configured to determine the first and second motion components by: limiting a retraction of the instrument holder carriage.

16. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 1, wherein the instrument holder further comprises a moveable instrument holder carriage, and wherein the computer-assisted medical system further comprises:

actuators to move the manipulator arm and the instrument holder carriage; and

a processor configured to cause the actuators to move the manipulator arm and the instrument holder carriage while limiting at least one movement selected from the group consisting of: a movement of the manipulator arm and a movement of the instrument holder carriage.

17. The computer-assisted medical system ofclaim 16, wherein limiting the movement of the manipulator arm or the instrument holder carriage comprises:

limiting an insertion of the instrument holder carriage such that the instrument holder carriage does not collide with the cannula; or

limiting a retraction of the instrument holder carriage such that an end effector of the instrument is not pulled out of the cannula.

18. A method of operating a computer-assisted medical system comprising a manipulator arm and an instrument holder physically coupled to the manipulator arm by a joint at a distal-most link of the manipulator arm, the instrument holder configured to releasably couple to an instrument, the method comprising:

determining a retraction or extension of an adjustable assembly of the instrument holder, wherein the retraction or extension moves a cannula clamp physically coupled to the adjustable assembly relative to the joint at the distal-most link of the manipulator arm; and

driving an actuator to produce the retraction or extension.

19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the instrument holder comprises an instrument holder frame and an instrument holder carriage configured to releasably couple to the instrument, the instrument holder carriage translatable along the instrument holder frame, and wherein the method further comprises:

commanding a periodic re-centering of the instrument holder carriage relative to the instrument holder frame.

20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein commanding the periodic re-centering comprises:

commanding a movement of the instrument holder carriage relative to the instrument holder frame while holding a position of an end effector of the instrument substantially stationary.

21. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the instrument holder comprises an instrument holder frame and an instrument holder carriage configured to releasably couple to the instrument, the instrument holder carriage translatable along the instrument holder frame, and wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a desired motion of the instrument, the desired motion including a longitudinal movement along a longitudinal axis of the instrument;

determining first and second motion components of the longitudinal movement, the first motion component for the manipulator arm, and the second motion for the instrument holder carriage; and

causing the instrument to move in accordance with the longitudinal movement by:

causing motion of the manipulator arm based on the first motion component, and

causing motion of the instrument holder carriage relative to the instrument holder frame, based on the second motion component.

22. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the instrument holder comprises an instrument holder frame and an instrument holder carriage configured to releasably couple to the instrument, the instrument holder carriage translatable along the instrument holder frame, and wherein the method further comprises:

limiting at least one movement selected from the group consisting of: a movement of the manipulator arm and a movement of the instrument holder carriage.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured for storing instructions executed by one or more processors of a medical system comprising a manipulator arm and an instrument holder physically coupled to the manipulator arm by a joint at a distal-most link of the manipulator arm, the instrument holder configured to releasably couple to an instrument, the medium comprising instructions causing the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a retraction or extension of an adjustable assembly of the instrument holder, wherein the retraction or extension moves a cannula clamp physically coupled to the adjustable assembly relative to the joint at the distal-most link of the manipulator arm; and

driving an actuator to drive the retraction or extension.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 23, wherein the instrument holder comprises an instrument holder frame and an instrument holder carriage configured to releasably couple to the instrument, the instrument holder carriage translatable along the instrument holder frame, and wherein the operations further comprise:

commanding a periodic re-centering relative to the instrument holder frame; or

limiting at least one movement selected from the group consisting of: a movement of the manipulator arm and a movement of the instrument holder carriage.

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